US announces visa curbs to bar ‘far-left terrorist’ groups from entering country

3 min readUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 01:54 PM IST

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced fresh visa curbs targeting Far-Left terrorists. Photo: AP/Jose Luis Magana

United States Department of State Marco Rubio on Thursday announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals linked to “far-left terrorist” groups from entering the country.

Announcing the new policy on X, Rubio said foreign nationals who finance, incite, or aid and abet Far-Left Terrorists are “enemies of our civilization” and not welcome in the US.

“Today, @StateDept is imposing new visa restrictions to bar Far-Left Terrorists from entering our country. Foreigners who finance, incite, or aid and abet Far-Left Terrorists are enemies of our civilization. They are not welcome in the United States,” Rubio said in the social media post.

The state department said the visa curb was part of the US government efforts to disrupt networks formenting “political violence before they escalate to criminal action”.

Today, @StateDept is imposing new visa restrictions to bar Far-Left Terrorists from entering our country.

Foreigners who finance, incite, or aid and abet Far-Left Terrorists are enemies of our civilization. They are not welcome in the United States.https://t.co/Xnc1dqMAHd

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 16, 2026

“The Department of State is announcing a new visa restriction policy that targets members of Far-Left Terrorist and other aligned groups who have supported or incited acts of terrorism; supported violent criminal activity; participated in economic sabotage; financed, recruited, or provided logistical support for violent or criminal actions committed by Far-Left Terrorist and other aligned groups,” the state department statement statement read.

It said that the policy will safeguard the country by restricting entry of foreign nationals who finance, recruit, incite, or otherwise enable terrorist, violent, and criminal Far-Left Terrorist networks.

New move part of ongoing visa curbs

The visa curbs on Far-Left networks is part of the ongoing curbs on foreign nationals in the US. The Trump administration on Thursday announced tightened visa rules for international students, foreign journalists and cultural exchange visitors.

The new rule, issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), creates a fixed period of stay for F visas issued to international students, J visas for cultural exchange visitors and I visas for members of the foreign media.

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The move limits the stay for student and exchange visa applicants for a period of four years. The regulations also prohibit graduate students from changing their “educational objectives” or from transferring their schools without authorisation.

The visa for journalists has also been restricted for up to 240 days. Earlier, the visa category allowed journalists to stay in the US for years.